Mail-box



MCCLYIVIONDS.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.I7. 1918.

Patented July 8, 1919.

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J. R. McCLYMONDS.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FlLED DEC. 12. 19111.

Patented July 8, 1919.

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JOHN R. MGCLYMONDS, OF ELWOOD CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 1919.

Application filed December 17, 1918. Serial No. 267,174.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN R. McCLY- MONDS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Elwood City, in the county of Lawrence and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to depositing and collecting receptacles, andmore especially to letter boxes; and the object of the same is toproduce an improved box into which the passing postman may quicklydeposit letters and the like and from which he may take pieces of mailwhich are to be forwarded.

Specifically, the purpose of the invention is to protect the mail leftby the postman so that it will not be injured by the weather and cannotbe reached by birds or animals and the like.

Details are set forth below and attention is invited to the drawings,wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of this box complete a Fig. 2 isan end view Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view Fig. 4: is a plan viewand F ig. 5 is an enlarged detail in section on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

The numeral 1 designates the body of this box whose front is closed by adoor 2 hinged at 3 and having a knob 4: and a lock 5; and within thebody behind the door is a drawer 6 having a knob 7 by which it may bewithdrawn when the door is swung open and downward. Obviously, the doorcannot be opened until the lock is actuated, but in some instances I maynot employ the lock.

Within the body above the drawerv are two trap doors 10 hinged at theirouter edges to the body as at 11 and supported by springs 12. Abovethese doors when in their normal horizontal closed position, the box isby preference enlarged as by means of outside beading 13, each sidestrip of beading rising from a shoulder 1 1 on which is a track 15 fromfront to rear of the box.

On this track is movably mounted a slide 16 preferably having a groove17 along each edge to rest on the track with extremely little friction,and a cleat 18 overlies the edge of the slide and the track so as tothoroughly protect the same from the ele ments. A rack 19 is carried onthe front of the body so that the householder can put letters thereinwhich the postman can pick up. Posts 20 rise from the rear corners ofthe box and support a cross bar 21 at the top, a cross bar 22 just abovethe cleats 18, and an upright 23 connecting the cross bars, and to thisupright at 2 1 is hinged an arm 25 normally elevated by means of aspring 26 and carrying at its front end a pocket or, receptacle 27adapted to receive pieces of mail matter. A link 28 connects the armwith a point on the slide 16. When now the arm descends to the positionshown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the link pushes the slide 16 to therear; and when the spring 26' restores the arm and receptacle to theirnormal position as shown in full lines, the link draws the slide againto the front so as to close the enlarged upper end of the body 1.

With this construction of parts, the box being mounted on an uprightsuch as a post along the roadway in case the house owner should be afarmer or a suburbanite, letters which he desires the postman to take upare placed within the rack 19. When the postman passes he has but tothrow the mail within the receptacle 27. Immediately the same descendsas the tension of the light spring 26 permits, and the mail is droppedthrough the opening disclosed by the rearward movement of the slide 16.It falls onto the doors 10 which in turn descend to the position shownin dotted lines in Fig. 3, and the mail is dropped into the drawer 6.The doors are now returned to their normal horizontal position, and thereceptacle and arm and slide to theirs. Thereafter rain and snow cannotenter the box or drawer and dirt and dust cannot enter it. If a bird oranimal should rest on the slide, nothing would result. Even if a birdshould alight upon the receptacle, his weight might depress the same andslide would move, but the bird would be frightened away; It ispractically impossible for an animal to get into the device, because hisweight must be applied to the receptacle to move the slide before he canget at the doors. From time to time the householder comes to the boxand, unlocking the lock 5, opens the door and withdraws the drawer 6 andtakes out the mail. I have spoken of my device as a mail box, but it isobvious that other small articles could be delivered therein. Thesprings of course must be extremely light so that they will be put intoaction by the lightest mail matter.

The foregoing description and the drawings have reference to what may beconsidered the preferred, or approved form of my invention. It is to beunderstood that I may make such changes in construction and arrangementand combination of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may proveexpedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1. I11 a mail box, the combination with abox-like body having a door in the front, a drawer slidably mounted inthe body, a trap door hinged within the body, and yielding means forholding it raised; of tracks along the sides of the body, a slidemovably mounted thereon, an arm hinged above the body, a link connectingthe arm with a slide, and a receptacle carried by the arm.

2. In a. mail box, the combination with a box-like body having a door inthe front, a drawer slidably mounted in the body, a trap door hingedwithin the body, and yielding means for holding it raised; of tracksalong the sides of the body, a slide movably mounted on the tracks,uprights carried by the body, cross bars connecting said uprights, aforwardly projecting arm hinged at its rear end to an upright carried bysaid cross bars, a receptacle on the front end of the arm, a springnormally raising the arm and receptacle, and a link pivotally connecting the arm with the slide.

3. In a mail box, the combination with a box-like body, a drawertherein, and a pair of spring closed trap doors within the body abovethe drawer; of tracks along the upper edges of the sides of said body, aslide movably mounted on said tracks, an upright carried by the rear ofthe body, an arm hinged thereto, yielding means for raising said arm, areceptacle on the arm, and connections between the arm and slide wherebythe descent of the arm pushes the slide to therear, for the purpose setforth.

4. Ina mail box, the combination with a box-like body, and means forgaining access thereto; of a pair of tracks along the upper edges of thesides of said body, cleats overlying said tracks, a slide movablymounted on said tracks beneath the cleats, an arm movably supportedabove said slide and carrying a receptacle, and connections between saidarm and slide whereby descent of the receptacle causes the slide to moveto the rear, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a mail box, the combination with a box-like body, and means forgaining access thereto; of a pair of tracks along the upper edges of thesides of said body, cleats overlying said' tracks, a slide movablymounted on said tracks beneath the cleats, a pair of posts rising fromthe back of the body, cross bars connecting them, an upright connectingthe midlength of the cross bars, an arm hinged at its rear end to saidupright, a spring'normally urging said arm to a horizontal position,areceptacle at the forward end of the arm, and a link pivotallyconnecting said arm with the slide for moving the latter to the rearwhen the front end of the arm and receptacle descend, for the purposeset forth.

6. In a device of; the'character described, the combination of aboxhaving a yieldably supported trap door, and tracks a slide movablymounted on said tracks, an arm hinged above said box, a link connectingthe arm to said slide, and a receptacle carried by the arm.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a boxhaving a yieldably supported trap door, tracks carried by said box,aslide movably mounted on said tracks, uprights carried by the body,cross bars connecting theuprights, a forwardly projecting arm hinged atits rear end to an upright carried by said cross bars, a receptacle onthe front endofsaid arm, a spring normally raising the arm andreceptacle, and a link' connecting the arm with the slide.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a bodyhaving a yieldably supported trap door, tracks carried by said box, aslidemovably mountedon said tracks, an upright carried by said box, anarm hinged thereon, yielding means for raising said arm, a receptacle onthe arm, and connections between the arm and slide, whereby the 'distentof the arm pushes the slide to the rear, for the purpose set forth.

9. In a device .of the character described, the combination of a box, aslide movably mounted on said box, and means for automatically movingsaid slide to one side and turning the same to its normal position, forthe purpose set forth.

. 10. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a box, a slide movable on said box, a receiving meanscarried above said slide, means for normally retaining said receivingmeans in set position and connections between said receiving means andsaid slide for moving the slide to one side when articles are placed insaid receiving means, for the purpose set forth. I

11. In a device of the character described, the combination of a box, aslide movably mounted on said box, a yieldable retained arm positionedabove said slide, and a connection between said arm and slide forshifting the slide as said arm is moved, r'or the purpose set forth.

12. In a device of the character described, the combination of a box, aslide movably mounted on said box, an arm hingedly supported above saidslide, means for normally retaining the arm in a set position, and alink connecting said arm to said slide, Whereby when the arm is shifted,it Will move said slide, for the purpose set forth.

13. In a device of the class described, the combination of a box, aslide movably mounted upon said box, uprights carried by said box, crossbars carried by said uprights, an arm hingedly mounted to an uprightcarried by said bars, a spring conneoted to said arm and one of saidcross bars for normally retaining the arm in a set position, and meansconnecting said arms to said slide for shifting the slide as the arm isswung.

In testimony whereof I ai'fix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN R. MQOLYMONDS. l/Vitnesses:

S. Y. Dorms, BELLE DILLAN.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

